Slicing machine scrap deflector



Jan. 4, 1955 J. FcsTER 2,698,638

SLICING MACHINE SCRAP DEFLECTOR Filed Dec. 3l, 1949 Man, WMM, @w16 s United States Patent SLIClN G MACHINE SCRAP DEFLECTOR James Leslie Foster, La Porte, Ind., assignor to U. S. Slicing Machine Company, Inc., La Porte, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application December 31, 1949, Serial No. 136,283 6 Claims. (Cl. 146-102) This invention relates to slicing machines in general, and particularly to slicing machines of the gravity feed, push-pull type. More specically, the invention relates to attachments for machines of the latter specified kind.

It is well known that there is a certain amount of scrap, such as fat, fine meat particles and meat juices, thrown out during the cutting action of the rotating knife on the meat being cut. This scrap is often thrown out beyond the contines of the machine top and leaks or drips down the side of the machine onto the counter or stand upon which the machine is supported. It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide an attachment which is removably or detachably secured to a part of the machine to deliect the scraps as they are thrown out by the knife, the attachment being detachably mounted to the machine immediately beneath the knife and secured in place by the same means which hold the knife guard in place. There is further provided a securing or locking device, in the form of a knurled nut, for locking the device in position.

Another important object of the invention resides in the provision of a scrap deflector which is demountably attached to a part of the machine and maintained in place by the knife guard seeurement means, or in cases where the knife guard may comprise an integral extension of the knife center plate, then by the center plate securement means, so that scraps, juices and the like may be deliected onto the top of the machine frame and then be held there or drained to a predetermined location so that they may be wiped off or otherwise removed.

Numerous other objects and advantages will be apparent throughout the progress of the specification which follows.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a certain selected embodiment of the invention, and the views therein are as follows:

Fig. 1. is a perspective view of one type of slicing machine to which there is attached the scrap dellector of the invention; Y

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the improved scrap deflector;

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view through the lower end of the machine shown in Fig. 1 and showing the manner in which the scrap deflector of the invention is held in place by the knife guard securing means; and

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view looking forward from the operators stance and showing the scrap deector applied in position beneath the slicing knife.

The particular slicing machine 1 herein shown, for the purpose of illustrating and describing the invention, is of the well known gravity feed, push-pull type, as manufac-V tured by S. U. Slicing Machine Company, Inc., of La Porte, Indiana. The machine 1 comprises a supporting frame 2 having a knife supporting bracket or frame 3 with an inclined face upon which a driven, inclined circular slicing knife 4 is rotatively mounted. The top of the frame of the machine is bulged upwardly, as indicated at 5, Fig. 4, to cover and conceal certain carriage mechanism or apparatus 6 to which the inclined food trough or table 7 is secured for to-and-fro rectilinear movement past the cutting plane of the slicing knife 4.

The cutting or slicing knife 4 has its front face slightly dished and is covered by a knife mask or knife center plate 8, and a knife edge guard 9 covers practically the entire edge of the knife, except for an uncovered part at the front edge of the knife where the actual cutting or slicing takes place. This knife edge guard 9 may corn- 2,698,638 VPatented Jan. 4, 1955 prise a rear part 10 detachably secured to a part of the knife bracket 3 and a lower part 11 which may be also a separate member. If desired, the edge guard 9 may have the parts 10 and 11 formed as an integral part of the knife center plate, or they may be parts which are secured rigidly to the knife center plate. rl`he edge guard 9 extends beneath the bottom edge of the knife 4 and is detachably maintained in place by means of a pin or screw 12 and other fastening or securing means arranged on the knife bracket 3 along its periphery and on the front face thereof (the latter fastening means not being shown).

The scrap deilector 13, Fig. 2, comprises a thin onepiece integral member made of stainless steel or other suitable metal or material. The member 13 has an elongated body part 14 having an attaching end 15, including a at lower attaching side face or part 16 and a side attaching face or part 17. The parts or portions 16 and 17 are relatively at right angles at the forward end of the body and are integrally connected by a smooth rounded part 18. The other end of the member 13 terminates into a flared, curved deflector part 19 which flares upwardly ,into an integral extension 20, the part 19 merging smoothly and in curved arrangement with the angularly disposed parts 16 and 17 of the attaching end 15, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The body 14, therefore, is in the form of a half scoop or half funnel and, when applied adjacent the knife edge guard or center plate extension, forms a curved deflector for directing the scraps back toward the knife and downwardly toward the top of the machine frame, Figs. 3 and 4.

The attaching end 15Yof the defiector 13 is provided with open-ended slots 21, there being a slot in the part 16 and another slot in the part 17, Fig. 2. The slot 21 in the side face is received under the head of the pin or screw 12, while the slot 21 in the lower attaching part 16 is held in place by a set screw 22, being locked between the underside of the head 23 of the set screw 22 and the outer face of a part of the edge guard 11. The screw body of the set screw 22 threadedly engages a rigid part of the knife supporting bracket 3. The deiiector 13, therefore, may be applied quickly and easily in place by arranging the slots 21 in proper position and then tightening the set screw 22. When the deflector is not employed, the set screw 22 may remain engaged with the bracket 3 for quick application of the deflector when it is to be used again.

The deector 13, when applied, has its open or inside face 24 facing toward the outer face of the knife and receives all the scraps thrown out by the knife and directs or deilects these scraps inwardly and downwardly so that they may be received on the top of the frame at the point 25 and prevented from falling or spilling outwardly of the table.

The invention provides a simple device which maybe economically manufactured. It may be applied or removed easily and quickly, being supported by the same means which hold the edge guard or center plate, and by a single set screw. The device is rigid and durable and very etfectively directs the scraps to a position within the confines of the machine and prevents the scraps flllom flying or falling along or at the outside of the mac me.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacricing any of its advantages, and all such changes may be made as fairly fall within the scope of the claims which follow.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A slicing machine comprising a knife supporting bracket having an inclined face, an inclined driven circular slicing knife mounted on the inclined face of the bracket, a knife mask on the inclined face of the knife, a knife edge guard fastened to the knife mask, said knife edge guard including a part arranged beneath the lower edge of the knife, holding means for removably mounting the knife mask to a part of the machine, said holding means including a pin-like member engaging a part of the machine and with which a part of the knife edge guard has interengaging relationship, detachable deector means to deflect scraps toward the knife when thrown by the knife during rotation thereof, said deflector means comprising a body including a side face having an opening receiving said holding means, a lower face on the body and having a part arranged beneath the lower edge of the knife, and a setscrew passing through said lower face and threadedly engaging a part of the machine.

2. A slicing machine comprising a knife supporting bracket having an inclined face, an inclined driven circular slicing knife mounted on the inclined face of the bracket, a knife mask on the front of the knife, a knife edge guard fastened to the knife mask, said knife edge guard including a part arranged beneath the lower edge of the knife, holding means for removably mounting the knife mask to a part of the machine, said holding means including a pin-like member engaging a part of the machine and with which a part of the knife edge guard has interengaging relationship, deflector means to deflect scraps toward the knife when thrown by the knife during rotation thereof, said deflector means comprising a body including a side face having an opening receiving said holding means, a lower face on the body and having a part arranged beneath the lower edge of the knife, and a setscrew passing through said lower face and thrcadedly engaging a part of the machine, said faces being angulariy disposed and integral with each other, and terminating into a smooth, rounded Haring surface sloping upwardly from the side face and away from the knife and forming a scoop or trough-like surface for receiving the scraps and deecting toward the knife and onto a part of the machine.

3. A slicing machine comprising a knife supporting bracket having an inclined face, an inclined driven circular slicing knife mounted on the inclined face of the bracket, a knife mask on the front of the knife, a knife edge guard fastened to the knife mask, said knife edge guard including a part arranged beneath the lower edge of the knife, holding means for removably mounting the knife mask to a part of the machine, said holding rneans including a pin-like member engaging a part of the machine and with which a part of the knife edge guard has interengaging relationship, and deiiector means to deiiect scraps toward the knife when thrown by the knife during rotation thereof, said deector means comprising a body including a pair of integrally connected faces angularly disposed to each other, said body terminating and merging into a rounded, aring, scoop-like part extending upwardly from the lower edge of the knife and inclining outwardly from the face of the knife so as to drain or direct scraps and the like toward the lower edge of the knife and onto a part of the machine below the lower edge of the knife, one of said faces having an end slot formed therein and adapted to receive said pin-like member to mount the body in position.

4. A slicing machine comprising a knife supporting bracket having an inclined face, an inclined driven circular slicing knife mounted on the inclined face of the bracket, i t

a knife mask on the front of the knife, a knife edge guard fastened to the knife mask, said knife edge guard including a part arranged beneath the lower edge of the knife, holding means for removably mounting the knife mask to a part of the machine, said holding means including a pinlike member engaging a part of the machine and with which a part of the knife edge guard has interengaging relationship, and deflector means to deect scraps toward the knife when thrown by the knife during rotation thereof, said deflector means comprising a body including a pair `of integrally connected faces angularly disposed to each other, said bodyl terminating and merging into a rounded, flaring, scoop-like part extending upwardly from the lower edge of the knife and inclining outwardly from the face of the knife so as to drain or direct scraps and the like toward the lower edge of the knife and onto a part ofthe machine below the lower edge of the knife, one of said faces having an end slot formed therein and adapted to receive said pin-like member to mount the body in position, the other of said faces also having an end slot formed therein, and a setscrew passing through said latter slot and thrcadedly engaging a part of the machine to lock the body in place.

5. A slicing'machine comprising a knife supporting bracket, a knife revolubly mounted on said bracket and having an outer front face thereon, a knife edge guard at the lower edge of the knife and forming a shield for the knife edge, means to secure said guard in position, and a scrap deflector detachably mounted on said last named means having a portion thereof covering a part of the front Vface of the knife and another portion integral therewith extending beyond the outer periphery of the knife to'deflect scraps across the plane of the knife and away from the knife on the side thereof opposite to that on which the scrap deiiector is mounted.

6. A slicing machine comprising a knife supporting bracket, a knife revolubly mounted on said bracket and having an outer front face thereon, a knife edge guard at the loweredge of the knife and forming a shield for the knife edge, means to secure said guard in position, a scrap deflector detachably' mounted on said last named means having a-,portion thereofV covering a part of the vfront face of the knife and another portion integral therewith beyond the outer periphery of the knife to deiect scraps across the plane of theknife and away from the sidevof the. knife oppositefto that on which the detiector is mounted, and a set-screw arranged angularly of said last named means andpas'sing through the deector and thrcadedly engaging apart of .the machine to lock the deector in'position adjacent the knife.

EReferences CitedV in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,273,138 Bond July 23, y1918 1,663,782 Thomas Mar. 27, 1928 1,685,271 Campbell Sept. 25, 1928 1,947,898 f Campbell Feb. 20, 1934 1,971,825 Lucey Aug. 28, 1934 2,030,197 Campbell Feb. 1l, 1936 2,055,817 Folk Sept. 29, 1936 

